Secret Origins
by kajunblueyes
Summary: A quick one shot that wouldn't leave my brain alone! Enjoy my lovelies! As always, reviews are embraced with a raging love of unicorn hugs and kitten farts ;)


Secret origins

It is 2 AM and here she is, soaking wet, standing outside in the middle of this downpour, on the front steps of none other than Oliver Queen's apartment. She doesn't even remember how she got here really. All Felicity knows, is that one second she was curled up on the floor in front of her couch in her pink cotton pajama pants, white tank top, and fuzzy socks, with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her tiny arms wrapped so tightly around her knees, it was beginning to cut circulation. She wasn't crying, just in a total state of shock. Rocking back and forth. Next thing she knows, here she is.

Just as she makes up her mind to turn away and go home, his door swings open. Of course there stands Oliver Queen in all of his shirtless glory, with his grey sweat pants hanging deliciously low on his hips. It should be illegal for someone to look that good at 2 AM she thinks to herself.

"Felicity?"

"Oliver! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you! I honestly don't even know how I ended up here. Well, obviously I drove, but truthfully, I don't remember much of it, or why I drove to here, but you were obviously sleeping, and I don't want to disturb you, so I'll just go."

Why can't she just control her rambles? Even in a time like now, her mouth just won't snap shut.

"Hey. It's ok. Come inside before you get sick. I wasn't sleeping anyway."

Oliver puts a gentle hand on her elbow to guide her across his threshold. He's really worried about what could have his girl so obviously distressed that she would be on his doorstep at this time, in the pouring rain. The anxiety is coming off of her in waves. Something, or someone has her really upset, and he will get to the bottom of it. First, he needs to get her a towel and some dry clothes. He can't help but see her shiver from the cold, as his a/c hits her wet skin. It's also hard to miss her body's natural reaction underneath that damn white tank top she's wearing.

"Wait here." He tells her, as he makes his way to his bedroom, to get her some things.

When he returns, he gently opens up the towel and places it over her shoulders. He takes her long wet curls in both of his hands and softly lifts them over the towel. Felicity is looking at the floor now, refusing to look at him.

"Felicity?" Oliver gently says her name, as her lifts her face with the crook of his finger. Next thing he knows, his arms are full of wet, soft curves pressed into him.

Felicity isn't sure what overcame her. If it was the safety she feels with Oliver, the fact that he will never judge her, or just the overwhelming need to finally have someone comfort her, but whatever it is, she decides not to fight it. She simply doesn't have the strength. She almost falls, right into the strength of his arms. Seeking, searching, for something that had long since been denied her. Suddenly, as if a dam has broken inside of her heart, the flood gates open. Sobs rack her body. Heart-wrenching, body shaking, sobs. She clings to him as if her life depends on it. At this very moment, her heart does, and she doesn't care. She needs him and all of the comfort only his embrace can provide.

Oliver feels as though his heart is being ripped right out of his chest. He has one arm tightly wrapped around her tiny waist, holding her up. His other hand is tangled in her hair, holding her head close in the crook of his neck, as he whispers soothing words in her ears.

"Shh. You're okay. I've got you. You're okay. Shh."

Whatever, or whoever had done this to his girl, will pay. No one hurts Felicity. Period. She is off limits. He feels her sobs begin to die down some, but can also feel how weak her body is. Oliver wonders how long she has been holding this in. It is as though, letting it out has drained her physically, as well as emotionally. Without thought, he reaches down and gently places an arm beneath the crook of her knees, effortlessly lifting her into his arms and carrying her to his couch. When she doesn't protest, he knows this is serious. He reaches to set her down, and feels her arms around his neck tighten up, as a soft whimper of protest escapes her lips.

"Shh. It's ok Felicity. I won't let go. I've got you." Oliver softly coos in her ear, as he sits on the couch, placing her gently in his lap.

He doesn't know how long they sit like that. He wraps the blanket, that was neatly folded on the back of the couch, around her lithe, wet frame, in an attempt to quell the shaking. Oliver has a sneaking suspicion that the shaking isn't entirely from the cold, but he will do whatever he has to do to help her get through this.

"My mom came to see me tonight." She finally speaks. It is so soft, if her lips were not so close to his ears, the words may have been lost. He knows there is a lot more to this story, so he gently rubs her arm, in an effort to show his support for her to continue.

"She brought HIM with her. How could she?"

"Him?" Oliver softly probes, not liking where this is going.

"She married him Oliver! Can you believe her! And then she has the gall to bring him to MY house!" She starts in her loud voice, rising off of his lap with sudden force, and anger radiating off of her in waves.

Oliver just looks at her searchingly, asking her to go on.

"Then, as if that wasn't enough? She looked me in the eyes and said to me that SHE forgives ME! And wants us to be a family again! Seriously? What. the. actual. hell?!" Now Oliver is completely lost. He has no idea what is going on, but he knows that his girl rarely swears. If she does, it's bad. He decides against asking, and lets her continue her rant, knowing she needs to get whatever it is out.

"I was 14! I was still a child for God's sake Oliver! I hadn't even had my first period! And that bastard thought that he could just take from me what did NOT belong to HIM! And the best part? When I told HER? She blamed ME! Said that I seduced him! That I was a whore! That HE was the best thing that ever happened to her and I was messing up all of her plans! She was supposed to protect me Oliver!" "She was supposed to protect me" the last sentence comes out as a slight whisper as the tears stream down her face, and her trembling starts again. She is no longer pacing, but is standing in front of my entertainment center with her shoulders slumped in defeat and her head facing the floor. She almost looks...ashamed? But why?

Slowly Oliver approaches her. Like he is approaching a frightened animal. Realization hits him like a tidal wave. Someone had hurt her. Hurt her in the worst way that a woman could be hurt. Not a woman though, a child, she was still a child!

"Felicity" she doesn't respond. She is almost catatonic.

"Hey, look at me" he prods again, not wanting to touch her yet, because he understands the full implications of living in a memory. And damned if he isn't gonna make this bastard pay for what he did to his girl. Someone has to protect her.

"Do you understand now Oliver? Why I insist on taking care of myself? Why I refuse to depend on anyone for protection? Why I want to learn self-defense? When I think of what he did to me, I can't breath. I become this frightened little girl all over again, and I don't want to be her anymore. I have worked so damned hard to move past that. To not have to rely on anyone. Learning to rely on you and Digg has been one of the most frightening things I have ever done. There is still a part of me, that sad, lonely little girl, that wants to run to you, run into your arms, every time I get scared, but an even bigger part of me? No. I know that I NEED to take care of myself. I don't need you to protect me Oliver, but I have to admit, that for the first time in my life? It's amazing to know that someone cares about me enough to be willing to do so. Thank you for giving me that."

Oliver is stunned. He doesn't really know what to say to that. Ever since their first epic fail at an attempt of a date, he has pushed her away, in the hopes of keeping her safe, of protecting her. Now, knowing this, he can see that maybe pushing her away was the wrong move. Not because she doesn't want him to protect her, because that will never change, but because, by pushing her away, he is just one more person inadvertently hurting her. He can't bare that.

"Felicity, I'm so sorry. All I have ever wanted, all I have ever needed, is for you to be safe. If anything ever happened to you, I couldn't survive. You have to know how much you mean to me. I know I can be a stubborn ass." He notices a hint of a smile draw to her lips at this confession.

"I only want what's best for you, and I didn't stop to think that, in my making that decision for you, I was only hurting you worse. My pain, that I can deal with, but hurting you? Never. I'm not sure what this means for us, or where we go from here, but I can promise you, no more running. No more pushing you away, and I will start training you. One day at a time? What do you say?" At this question, she finally looks up at him, with what can only be described as a hint of hope and love in her eyes.

"One day at a time." Is her soft reply.

"Oliver?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go home tonight. In case they show up again. I can't face them again. Not tonight. Not alone."

"I wasn't planning on letting you." He replies with a smirk, making his way to the counter, picking up the forgotten clothes for her to change into. He makes his way back over to her, handed her the clothes, and with his left hand, gently cradling her face in his hand. As he softly brushes his lips over hers, just a ghost of a kiss, he pulls back and quietly whispers

"You are not alone."


End file.
